Every Rose Has Its Thorn
by dnachemlia
Summary: NFA SeSA fic for fictionnaire. A poisoning case hits very close to home for a member of the MCRT.
1. Part 1 A Beginning and an End

Title: Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Genre: Slight Het, Casefic, Horror  
Rating: T (foul language in first chapter)

NFA Secret Santa fic for fictionnaire, who requested Tony/Faith Coleman (JAG lawyer from seasons 1 & 2), and a member of NCIS suffering from poisoning. Complete, 5 chapters, will post one per day (or thereabouts). Special thanks to Fingersnaps for the beta.

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Part 1 – A Beginning and an End

Tony logged off his email and leaned back with a sigh. It had been one hellacious week and he was truly looking forward to the first weekend in two months when they would not be on call. He knew he needed a break when the cases all started running together and he had tested the limits of Gibbs' minute patience by referring to the cold cases as more solvable than their current ones. They had finally gotten a break in the most recent "murdered Petty Officer dumped in Rock Creek Park" earlier in the week and now all that was left were the mounds of paperwork.

He glanced over at his partner and grinned. McGee almost seemed to live for paperwork and thanks to him most of the heavy lifting on this case had been reduced to manageable levels. Tony considered asking McGee and Ziva to join him for drinks to celebrate but both looked as if they needed a break from everything as well. Still, it never hurt to give them an option…

"Hey, Probies. I was thinking about trying out this pub in Georgetown one of my frat buddies recommended. Care to join me?"

"No thank you, Tony. I have plans for the evening."

"Oh, really? Care to share, Ziva?"

"I intend to spend it at home, relaxing, with a book."

Tony shuddered. "Sound like something McGee would do. How about you, McWallflower? Got plans?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. And no, I'm not sharing."

"Oooh, Original Recipe Probie's got a date? I demand details."

"No, it's…" He caught Tony's grin and groaned. "Not falling for that this time." He shut down his own computer and stood, grabbing his coat and bag as he did so. "Enjoy the pub. I'll see you on Monday. Goodnight, Ziva."

"Goodnight, McGee. Have fun," she said with a smirk and a wink. He just rolled his eyes and headed for the elevator. After he was gone Tony turned back to Ziva.

"Do _you_ know what he's going to be doing?"

She just smiled before gathering up her belongings and heading out. "Goodnight, Tony."

Tony watched her leave and sighed. "Guess it is just me after all." He briefly considered asking Abby or Jimmy but then he remembered the Goth mentioned going to a concert and the Gremlin was going out with his girl. Tony shook his head. Who could have ever imagined that the ME's assistant would have the stable relationship in the group?

Resigning himself to flying solo, Tony grabbed his coat and headed for the elevator. _Thank God for real Fridays_, he thought as the doors slid shut.

An hour later he walked into the pub, oddly named _Billy Bones_. He had expected a typical Americanized and kitschy version of an old-world watering hole and was pleasantly surprised. The neon signs advertising Harp and Guinness were absent and the place looked more like an upscale steakhouse, with high-backed booths, richly colored walls and carpeting instead of the exposed brick and dark-stained floors one normally associated with a drinking establishment. The bar itself was fully stocked with an impressive array of libations and Tony settled in to place an order for one of the rarer whiskeys.

He allowed his gaze to roam over the room and finally it settled on the occupants of the booth near the door. He could see only the left arm of the person who had their back to him but he could tell by the delicate and immaculately manicured hand that it was a woman. She wore no ring on her finger so he deduced that the couple was not married. He looked at the man seated opposite, also ringless, he could see from where the man tightly gripped his beer glass, and further deduced neither was having an affair. However, he could tell there was trouble brewing. The man's body language revealed his tension and anger, even though his expression was blank. Tony knew that look. He had used it himself when he was trying not to give a suspect a read on him.

The bartender, a rather plain but perky blonde wearing a name tag that said _Melanie_, drew Tony's attention away from the couple when she handed him his drink. He thanked her and took a sip, sighing with pleasure as the smoky, peaty taste warmed his mouth and throat. He was _definitely_ adding this place to his list of regular hangouts.

He returned his attention to the couple in time to see the man grab the woman's hand with what was obviously a strong grip. Tony immediately rose from his seat and quickly walked over when he heard the woman's small gasp of pain. The man looked up as he approached and his expression showed he clearly didn't appreciate being interrupted.

"This is a private conversation. Fuck off."

The woman didn't turn to acknowledge his presence but his arrival distracted than man enough for her to pull her hand out of his grip.

"I don't think she likes this conversation," Tony said and gave the man a predatory smile. "Maybe it's time to take a break."

"Maybe _you_ should mind your own damn business."

"Enough, Trey," said the woman and Tony was surprised that her voice sounded familiar. "This conversation, _and_ this relationship, is over. Leave. Now."

He stared at her, his fury breaking through for a brief moment before he regained control and the blank expression returned.

"This is _not_ over."

"Oh, I think it is," said Tony. "The lady asked you to leave. Don't make her ask twice."

'Trey' stood and stared Tony in the eye, but the agent wasn't intimidated. This guy was an amateur compared to the people he'd dealt with over the years. Finally the man dropped his gaze and stalked off towards the back of the building. Tony watched until he disappeared down the hall to the restrooms and then moved so he was facing the remaining occupant of the booth. His breath caught in surprise when he realized why her voice had sounded familiar.

"Lt. Commander Coleman?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Agent DiNozzo?" She gave him a rather rueful smile. "It's been a long time." She sighed. "I am sorry you had to get caught up in that. Trey can be rather…difficult."

"I noticed. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Just…fine."

Tony settled into the booth across from her and studied her with concern. "You want to talk about it?"

"Honestly, no. I'll just be glad to put this whole thing behind me."

"That bad, huh?"

"You…have no idea." Her expression clouded a moment before she quickly pulled herself together. "So…how have you been?"

"Oh, you know: same old routine."

"Still working for NCIS, I presume?"

"Yep. Still on Gibbs' team. You still with JAG?"

"Yes. I just returned from the Stuttgart office a couple of months ago when I was promoted to Commander."

"Well congratulations. How long were you in Germany?"

"I was there for two years, and before that, Okinawa. It's…nice to be home."

"I can imagine. Or maybe you just missed _me_, Faith," he said and gave her a wide smile. She stared at him, a disbelieving look on her face, until she finally chuckled.

"I see some things haven't changed all that much…_Tony_." She met his gaze and studied him. "Or maybe they have…"

They spent the hour sharing a bottle of Faith's favorite wine (and Tony had to admire her taste), catching up and reminiscing about the cases that had brought the JAG lawyer head to head with the MCRT. Tony kept an eye out for Trey and noticed when he returned to the bar, where he ordered another drink and watched his former girlfriend and the man who had joined her. The looks Trey was giving Tony made it clear to him that there could be trouble, so he pretended to ignore the glares and waited to see how the man would react. Finally Trey slammed his glass on the bar and stomped out. Faith visibly relaxed once he was gone, which told Tony that she, too, had been aware of his continued presence.

They eased back into the conversation and Tony realized how much he was enjoying her company. He took the time to study her and liked what he saw: her dark hair hung loose about her shoulders and although he thought he saw a thread or two of silver, she still looked much younger than her age. Her dark eyes flashed with intelligence, something that had admittedly intimidated him before but now he could appreciate and admire her drive for perfection. The sudden desire to lean forward and kiss her delicately freckled countenance surprised him and he pushed it down with the thought that if he tried it, she'd probably stab him with one of the perfectly sharpened pencils she carried in her briefcase. That thought caused him to let out a soft chuckle and she stared at him in surprise.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just…this is unexpected, that's all."

"Unexpected?"

"Yeah, I…I haven't really been much for conversation before. It's nice."

She studied him for a minute and smiled: a real, genuine smile. It softened her features and emphasized her appeal even more.

"I agree: it _is_ nice. I've enjoyed this, too. I may be sorry I asked, but…where do you think we should go from here?"

Tony seriously considered his answer. It would be easy to go his normal route and risk scaring her off. She had just ended what was obviously not an easy relationship and although he wanted more, he decided that this time it really might be worth it to try something new.

He leaned forward and met her gaze. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." He grinned and waited for her response. She regarded him for a long moment and finally gave him another of those beautiful smiles.

"We'll see…"

XXX

Trey Pratchett slammed the door of his apartment hard enough to shake the windows, and was immediately treated to the sound of his neighbor banging on the wall. He sent a few colorful phrases in said neighbor's direction and stalked to the kitchen for a drink. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, flipped off the cap against the edge of the counter and took a long pull on the bottle, draining most of it. He paused to take a breath and registered that the drink tasted awful before swore loudly and threw the offending bottle against the far wall.

_The nerve of that goddamn bitch! Over, my ass. It's no-fucking-where **near** over! Dump me and then pick up some pretty boy asshole that comes to her 'rescue'? I'll bet the whole thing was a set-up…I'm gonna kill that skinny high-tit bitch, and if that nosy bastard gets in the way, I'll waste him, too!_

Suddenly his vision blurred and a wave of dizziness hit him. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes until the sensation passed.

_Must have drunk more than I thought…_

Trey staggered to the living room and collapsed on the couch, still fuming as he tossed his cell phone on the coffee table in front of him. Grabbing the remote from the same table, he hit the power button and then starting flipping through the channels, hoping to find something to take his mind of the events of the evening. He settled in to watch a movie on _SyFy_. The inherent cheesiness would give him a much needed laugh, at least, and briefly he wondered where he could get some of the mutant killer fish he was watching-mutant killer fish that could walk on _dry land_, for Chrissakes-and he'd offer up that snooty bitch as goddamn fish food.

Another wave of dizziness hit him and leaned forward and tried to breathe through it. Wouldn't it just be wonderful if he ended the night puking his guts out? It would be all her fault, damn it. _Worthless excuse for a…_

The feeling suddenly left his hands and they became completely numb. He'd had little twinges of numbness before, nothing major, but suddenly it was if his appendages had been severed. He opened his eyes to see if they were actually still attached and when he saw that they were he sighed in relief. He'd been feeling pretty lousy these past few weeks but he had attributed it to stress. _Dealing with Ms. High and Mighty would cause anyone stress_, he mused. Suddenly he felt a sharp, twisting pain in his stomach and he lurched to the bathroom where he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet and groaned. He opened his eyes and saw, to his horror, that the basin was stained red.

_Oh shit...that's not good…that's not good at all…_

He violently retched again, _tasting_ the blood this time, and collapsed on the floor as he clutched his stomach and tried to breathe through the excruciating pain he was experiencing. He tried to crawl back in the living room, to get to his phone and call for help but his body wouldn't cooperate. The last thing he saw before darkness engulfed his senses was the image on the TV: a loathsome, vicious creature, all teeth and dead black eyes, slowly crawling towards him…

TBC...


	2. Part 2 A Case and a Concern

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Disclaimer: Don't own, etc.

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Part 2 – A Case and a Concern

"Morning, probies!"

Both McGee and Ziva looked up as Tony made his way through the bullpen to his desk with a jaunty smile on his face. He was quite cheerful for a Monday morning.

"It looks like someone had a good weekend," commented Ziva and McGee just returned to his work.

"Oh, I did."

"And I guess we'll get all the gory details," muttered McGee.

Tony just grinned. Normally he would share his exploits, but this time…well, let them wonder.

"Not gory, Tim, not gory at all," Tony said with a grin and seated himself at his desk to check his email.

"Really?" Ziva shot him a curious look. "So you did not hook up this weekend?"

Tony just smirked. He began to see the utility of withholding information from his co-workers as they often did from him, but the truth was he just didn't want to share. The weekend had been great, other than the headache and upset stomach he'd had Saturday morning. He had attributed the feeling to mixing whiskey and wine the night before, and luckily that bit of discomfort had quickly passed, allowing him to enjoy the rest of the weekend. He and Faith had met for brunch on Sunday and then spent the rest of the day together. It had been…nice. Relaxing, without the demands placed on Tony by his usual conquests. He could definitely get used to this…

"Gear up!"

Gibbs' command yanked him out of his reverie and Tony barely managed to keep his frustration hidden. He had hoped to get a break from active cases so he could keep a dinner date for tonight but apparently his luck had run out. Good thing Faith would actually understand.

"Where are we headed, Boss?" he asked as he grabbed his gear and followed Gibbs to the elevator.

"Georgetown. Dead Navy Lieutenant was UA this morning. His CO sent a junior officer to check who found him dead in his apartment."

"Got it."

Tony and McGee took the truck, while Gibbs and Ziva rode in one of the sedans to the site. Ducky and Palmer followed in the ME's van.

They arrived on the scene to find Metro police already in place, guarding the scene, along with an Ensign who was looking distinctly unhappy.

"Ziva, talk to the witness. DiNozzo: shoot and sketch. McGee: ID, then bag and tag.

"Yes, Gibbs."

"On it, Boss."

Ziva took the young Ensign aside to question him while Gibbs, Tony, and McGee opened the apartment door and stepped inside.

"Whew," muttered Tony. "Guessing this isn't a fresh one." The apartment was warm, and the smell that permeated the space was decidedly unpleasant.

The three agents carefully moved through the apartment while Ducky and Jimmy made their way over to the body, which lay in front of the TV. Tony noted the channel that was playing and quickly switched it off, then documented the position of the body for them before they carefully rolled it over. His eyes widened when he saw the face: swollen, but still recognizable. Gibbs caught his expression and turned fully to him.

"You know him?"

"I…he looks familiar, Boss."Gibbs raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for clarification. "I saw him at the pub on Friday night. He, uh, left an impression." Gibbs continued to stare at him and Tony started to question his own evasion concerning the man's identity.

"Lieutenant Treyton Michael Pratchett," McGee announced after he obtained information from the thumbprint scanner. "Stationed at the Naval Research Lab."

"So he was a geek?" asked Tony, unable to hide his surprise. "That explains the choice in TV channels." McGee shot him a dirty look.

"Administrator. Supply and Information Services."

"Huh. Sounds thrilling. Not much of a reason for him to wind up dead, though." An uncomfortable feeling was starting to churn in Tony's gut, and he really didn't like what it was telling him.

"What do ya got for me, Duck?" Gibbs asked, silencing the two younger men. McGee stood and backed away to give Gibbs room to crouch down next to the M.E.

"The body has reached ambient temperature, and rigor mortis has already passed. I'd say he's been dead for at least 48 hours, but perhaps not more than 60."

"Cause of death?"

"No obvious signs of trauma. I'll have to wait until I get him to autopsy. I suspect toxicological analysis will shed some light on the manner of his demise."

"Drugs?"

"Or perhaps poison. There is evidence of emesis prior to his death."

"Uh, Ducky?" called McGee from the bathroom. "I think you might need to take a look at this." The medical examiner rose and made his way to the small room to view what McGee had seen.

"Oh dear," he murmured. "We might have a greater concern." He turned to find Gibbs waiting for further explanation. "He was vomiting blood, Jethro. That narrows down the field a bit in terms of possible causes, but there might be a biological threat as well. However, since I see no signs of hemorrhaging on the body…I believe this indicates some sort of toxin."

"So he _was_ poisoned?" asked Tony as the unpleasant feeling intensified. "Could it be a suicide?"

"It is possible, but generally not a favored method among males."

"So we're looking at a homicide," said Gibbs.

"Very likely, I'm afraid." Ducky returned to the living room where Palmer was preparing the body for transport. He joined the young man in his task while the rest of the team spread out through the apartment to look for more evidence.

Tony carefully made his way to the kitchen and spied the remains of the shattered beer bottle. He took several pictures and the opened the fridge, which was empty except for the rest of a six-pack and a pizza box. "Doesn't look like Pratchett spent much time here," he said as he continues to snap pictures. "Also looks like he had a bit of a temper."

"After we're done here, take Ziva and go interview his co-workers," Gibbs replied as he stepped up behind the senior agent.

"On it, Boss."

After Duck and Palmer had tucked Pratchett into a body bag and removed him from the apartment, Tony and McGee finished processing the scene while Gibbs went to check on Ziva's progress.

"Doesn't look like he was rolling in money, here," McGee observed. "Jealous girlfriend, maybe? Poisoning usually points to a woman."

"Guess we'll find out…"

XXX

Several hours later, the team gathered in the bullpen to present their findings. McGee brought the man's records up on the plasma and started to recite what he had found.

"Lieutenant Treyton "Trey" Pratchett, 42, divorced, no kids. Still tracking down his ex-wife. No unusual transactions in his financials and appeared to be living within his means. Alimony payments to the wife, otherwise no major debts."

Gibbs turned to Tony and Ziva. "And?"

"Employed at the Naval Research Lab, managing bids for contracts in the Supply and Information Services. Everything he did appears to be above board. No disciplinary actions in his file. Most of his co-workers agree that he was well liked and had no enemies."

"Most?"

"Two female coworkers described him as 'possessive' and suggested that was why his wife left him. They also suggested he had quite a temper."

"Their divorce papers cited irreconcilable differences," added McGee.

"Do not say it, Tony," Ziva said as she pointed a finger at him.

"Say what? 'The wife did it'? Or in this case, ex-wife?"

"What would she have to gain from his death?"

"Peace of mind, maybe?" They all turned to look at McGee. "Looks like she filed a restraining order against him about six months ago."

"What else?"

"A Lieutenant Atherton said he thought Pratchett was dating someone, but he didn't talk about it much. Atherton recalled that Pratchett said he was glad that he finally found a 'sensible woman'."

Tony snorted softly. If 'sensible' was the best he could say about Faith, he truly hadn't deserved her…

"Something funny, DiNozzo?"

"No, Boss. Just seemed like a strange thing to comment on. About the woman, I mean."

Gibbs sent him one of his patented glares before returning his attention to the plasma. "So basically, we have nothing."

"Still waiting on Abby's results, Boss."

"Not anymore." They all turned to see Abby walk-skip towards them. "The samples from Pratchett are still running, but I tested the food and drink from his fridge and took swabs of the broken bottle. The bottles all contained a lethal dose of ethylene glycol."

"Anti-freeze. Good work, Abs. McGee, find out who had access to his apartment."

"On it, Boss."

"Abs, let me know as soon as you get the tox results back."

"You got it, Bossman." She headed back to her lab, still bouncing under the obvious effects of too much caffeine. Tony looked up at Pratchett's picture for a moment and shuddered.

"Nasty way to go."

"It could have been worse."

"How, Ziva?"

"Strychnine, belladonna, curare-"

"I _really_ didn't want to know, Ziva."

"They why did you ask?"

"A better question: How do _you_ know?"

"I _read_, Tony."

"Are you two done?"

"Yes, Gibbs."

"Yes, Boss."

Gibbs turned to the third member of his team. "McGee?"

The third agent placed his phone back on the cradle and looked up. "Pratchett's apartment manager, Barry Petrucci, is out of the office but should be back within the hour."

"Tony, go. Take Ziva with you."

The two agents headed for the elevator and Gibbs turned to McGee.

"Track Pratchett's whereabouts before he died. I want to know if there's anyone else who could have had motive and means."

"Yes, Boss."

Gibbs made his way down to autopsy where he found his old friend bent over the earthly remains of Lieutenant Pratchett while regaling his assistant with yet another story. When Gibbs entered he looked up and grinned.

"Ah, Jethro, I've been expecting you. Mr. Palmer, if you would be so kind, please take these samples up to Abigail."

"Yes, Doctor." Palmer scurried off and Gibbs raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"I thought Abby already had samples."

"Blood and tissue samples, yes. However, I observed something during the post-mortem which led me to believe I should have additional samples analyzed." He lifter one of the Lieutenant's hands and turned it so the fingernails were visible and pointed to a series of white lines across the bottom half of the nails, parallel to the base. "These appear to be what are known as Mee's lines. It's a sign of chronic arsenic poisoning. I also found cutaneous hyperpigmentation, or dark spots on the Lieutenant's hands and keratosis, or thickening of the skin, on his feet. I suspect he's been exposed for a number of weeks, based on the extent of all three symptoms."

"Someone poisoned him with both antifreeze _and_ arsenic?"

"It appears, yes, although I doubt it was the same person. Poisoners tend to pick one substance, and as I said, he has been exposed to the arsenic for a greater period of time."

"Two perps and two different motives."

"I'm afraid so, Jethro. But we will have to wait for the results of the toxicological analysis. The analysis of his hair will tell us the length of exposure and if the levels have increased over time."

"Thanks, Duck," Gibbs said as he turned and headed for the elevator. This case was looking like it would be even more of a headache than any of them had expected. Instead of one mystery, they now had two.

_Or three_, he thought as the metal box he had just entered ascended. _Gotta figure what DiNozzo is hiding…_

XXX

The apartment manager had been decidedly unhelpful. He insisted on calling his lawyer and then Tony and Ziva had been forced to wait until the man arrived. After accusing them of harassment and a plethora of other offenses, Petrucci finally agreed to cooperate after he had been assured that they were not trying to 'ruin his reputation'. Tony had been ready to ruin _something_ at that point, but he had remained calm through the remainder of the interview. Petrucci reluctantly informed them that the only official spare key was kept in the manager's office, but there was no formal regulation against resident's making spare keys since it was policy to change locks after each tenant moved out. Petrucci suspected that Pratchett's ex-wife had a key, since he had seen her at the apartment on several occasions, but the most recent was about three months ago.

Tony felt a bit of relief after they finished the interview and headed back to the Yard. It looked like this case was going to be fairly straightforward. Or at least it seemed that way until they got back to NCIS and learned about Ducky's suspicions.

"_Two_ poisons? This guy must have seriously pissed someone off."

"And we need to find out who," Gibbs declared.

"I've been trying to track his routine using credit card records, but it looks like he made mainly cash withdrawals from the ATM next to his apartment building and only used the cards for online purchases."

"Anything interesting in those?"

"Just a Netflix subscription and a couple of items per month from Amazon. Mainly books. Seemed to be a big fan of Tom Clancy and Stephen King."

"Anything to indicate he was buying gifts for a girlfriend?" asked Ziva.

"Nothing specific, no, unless his girlfriend was into horror and military technothrillers."

_Guess I'll have to ask, _Tony thought, and winced. He really wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

"Any luck on tracking down the ex-wife, McGee?"

"Her employer says she's at a conference in Denver. Left Sunday night and isn't expected to return until Wednesday."

"Go talk to her as soon as she does get back, McGee. Looks like we'll have to go re-interview Pratchett's co-workers, and see if we can track down the girlfriend." Gibbs checked his watch and sighed. "All right, get out of here, and be back at 0700 tomorrow." McGee and Ziva started to shut down their computers, while Tony sent a quick text to Faith to let her know he was on her way and then tended to his own workstation. He noticed the sensation of being watched and looked up to meet Gibbs' gaze.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Plans for the evening, DiNozzo?"

"Nothing special, Boss. Why?"

Gibbs continued to stare at him until Tony dropped his gaze and reached down to grab his bag. "See you tomorrow, Gibbs." He dashed for the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief as the doors slid shut. His relief was short-lived when he remembered what his next task would be.

XXX

The crowd in the pub was a little thinner and Tony was able to quickly locate Faith, seated on a booth in the far corner of the building, a half-full glass of wine in front of her. Tony slid into the seat across from her and gave her a megawatt smile.

"Sorry I'm late."

"I must admit, I was surprised you actually made it." She waved to the barmaid who brought a wine glass for Tony and a couple of menus before retreating. "After all, you still work for Gibbs. No current cases?"

"Actually, we do have one, and…I need to talk to you about it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be considered a breach of protocol?"

"Not as a JAG member." He lowered his voice and his tone turned even more serious. "I…it's about Trey."

Faith paled noticeably. "Did he…?"

"His last name is Pratchett?" She nodded and Tony sighed. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but…"

"He's dead, isn't he? He's your current case."

"Yes."

All of the color drained from her face and she dropped her gaze, blinking several times before she looked at Tony again. "What happened?"

"Working on that."

"He didn't…"

"Looks like a homicide."

"Damn it." Her expression hardened. "Are you speaking to me as a suspect?"

Tony sighed. "No, Faith, as a _witness._ Do you know of any reason why someone would want to kill him?"

The anger fell away and she looked suddenly vulnerable. "He didn't talk much about his work or other interests. I'd only been seeing him for about a month, but…I'd been thinking of breaking it off for nearly a week before I finally did. Our relationship was…casual. Or at least I believed it was. It was apparent that Trey did not feel the same way. He was…controlling."

"He had a temper."

"Yes, but he kept it mostly in check around me. He knew I wouldn't tolerate outbursts."

Tony grinned. "I'll keep that in mind." Faith gave a faint smile and he allowed his expression to grow serious again. "So no idea…?"

"None, I'm afraid." She leaned back and regarded him for several moments. "Is this going to put you in trouble with Gibbs? Because of our meeting like this?"

"Probably," he admitted. "But I'll deal with it." He put a gentle hand over her wrist. "I'm sorry about Trey."

"Thank you. He…he was someone worth knowing."

They sat together in silence, sharing a bottle of wine and each other's company, both unaware that they were being observed, and that plans concerning their future had already been made.

TBC...


	3. Part 3 An investigation and a Revelation

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Sorry this is a little late. Uploads wouldn't work for me this morning.

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Part 3 – An Investigation and a Revelation

Tony exited the elevator and made his way to his desk, his mood decidedly less cheerful than the day before. The headache that had plagued him over the weekend had returned, along with the upset stomach. He sincerely hoped he would be able to make it through the day without getting sick and embarrassing himself.

He eased into his chair and glanced at McGee, who had stopped typing for a moment to look up at his partner. A puzzled expression crossed the younger man's face, followed almost immediately by concern.

"You OK, Tony? You look like crap."

"And good morning to you, too, Probie," Tony replied with far less energy than he usually did. He started to check his email but soon had to stop as the pain behind his eyes increased and he reached up to rub his temples.

"Headache?" Tony shot him a "duh" look. "Are you going to need to break out the 'DiNozzo Defibulator'?" he asked with a slight grin. At the mention of that particular brew, Tony felt his stomach do a slow roll and he quickly got to his feet. "I'm going to go see Abby," he managed to get out before making a beeline for the stairs. He ran down one flight and headed for the closest bathroom. The level he had reached was relatively deserted and he was relieved he'd have at least some privacy. He barely made it to the stall before emptying the contents of his stomach. After several minutes, and when he was sure he wasn't going to bring anything else up, he staggered to the sink to rinse out his mouth and looked up at his reflection.

"Probie was right," he muttered as he wiped his face and attempted to fix his sweat-soaked hair. "Hope I'm not coming down with something…" When he was semi-presentable and had managed to cover the more obvious signs of illness, he plastered a smile on his face and headed for Abby's lab.

Tony winced as he stepped through the door into the lab where the cacophony of Abby's music assaulted his ears. Abby was in front of her computer, bobbing her head with the beat.

"Abby!" he yelled and she spun around, grinning when she saw him.

"Tony!" Her grin faded when she got a closer look at the senior agent. "What's wrong? You look like crap."

"So I've been told. Do you have the tox results back yet?"

"I do. Lieutenant Pratchett received a lethal dose of ethylene glycol, as well as a larger-than-lethal dose of arsenic trioxide."

"So which one killed him?"

"That's Ducky's department, but either one could have done it. I checked his hair, and he's been exposed to non-lethal doses for the past month, which increased during the last week before he died."

"Any idea how he was exposed?"

"I'm pretty sure he ingested it rather than inhaled it, since I didn't find evidence of the arsenic in his lung tissue."

"Someone was feeding it to him…"

"Which is relatively easy to do. Arsenic trioxide is odorless and tasteless, and dissolves in most liquids. It's why it was a popular poison for hundreds of years."

"Good to know. Any idea how often he was dosed?"

"Almost daily."

"So…maybe at work?"

"I didn't find any in the food from his apartment, so that would be a good bet. Unless there was somewhere else his went on a daily basis."

"Thanks, Abby," he said and turned to leave as he tried hard to ignore the churning in his gut, a sensation that had nothing to do with his earlier bout of sickness.

"Tony, you sure you're OK? You look like you need to lie down. I'm sure Bert wouldn't mind the company."

"I'm fine, Abby. Just might be coming down with something."

He listened to her rattle off a list of things he should try to combat the flu, colds, and other common maladies before thanking her and heading back to his desk.

When he arrived, he found a bottle of water and two aspirin conspicuously placed next to his keyboard. He looked over at McGee, who was watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Thanks, Tim," Tony said before downing the aspirin and chasing them with half the contents of the water bottle. McGee just nodded and went back to his work.

Ziva walked over to his desk and looked down at him. "Are you OK, Tony? You look like—"

"Thank you, we've already established I look like crap. I'm fine."

"You do not look fine…"

"Don't you have work to do, Probette?"

Ziva huffed and went back to her desk. Tony tried to concentrate on the information scrolling down his screen but his headache hadn't faded yet. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, Abby's words running through his mind.

"DiNozzo!"

His eyes snapped opened and he immediately sat up to meet the annoyed gaze of Gibbs.

"Sorry, Boss, just thinking."

Gibbs glare softened and a look of concern crossed his face. "You alright?"

"I'm good, Boss."

Gibbs just shook his head and turned to the others. "Talk to me."

McGee stood and brought the information up onto the plasma. "Pratchett drove an older vehicle, so I couldn't track him using an onboard GPS feature. As I said before, he didn't use his credit cards for any purchases but gas, and he made two gas purchases over the past month at a station two blocks from his work, two at a station a block from his apartment, and two at a station in central Georgetown."

"Regular hangouts. What's near the third station?"

"It's a couple of blocks from the historical district, and most of the businesses are restaurants, bars, and specialty shops."

"Was the pub where you saw him in that area, Tony?" He nodded, dreading the conversation he'd be having later about that. "Ziva?"

"Nothing in his service records to indicate any problems or altercations which could lead to a motive."

"Tony?"

"Divorce agreement is standard and alimony isn't excessive. Life insurance policy for $100,000, beneficiary is a sister who lives in Miami. She works for the Miami-Dade police department as a dispatcher."

"Anything else?"

"I spoke to Abby. She said he received a fatal dose of both poisons, and had been getting smaller doses of the arsenic for a month, with more in the last week before he died."

"Why two different poisons? And why two different methods?" asked Ziva.

"Maybe to throw us off track?" McGee suggested.

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Ensign Roberts, the witness who had discovered the body, escorted by one of the guards.

"Agent Gibbs? I need to speak with you."

"What's on your mind, Ensign?"

"I, uh…" He glanced around at the team. "I think I might have something that will help your case." He took another look around the room and swallowed nervously.

"Conference room." Gibbs headed for the designated location and the rest of the team, along with Roberts, followed. Once they were all inside and seated, Roberts started to speak.

"I work in the same department where the Lieutenant did. On the surface, everyone seemed to get along. No major disagreements or arguments."

"As your coworkers have already stated," said Ziva.

"Yes. The truth is…I noticed some tension between Lieutenant Pratchett and our CO, Captain O'Neill. I've heard them arguing on several occasions, starting about a month ago, and in the past week…I overheard the Captain tell Pratchett his days were numbered."

"Any idea what they were arguing about?"

"I think it had something to do with the contracts that the Lieutenant was working on for a new IT project at the Research Center. I'm not sure, but I think the Captain was pressuring the Lieutenant about the final decision. The Lieutenant…he really didn't like to be pushed around."

"McGee, see what you can find out about those contracts."

"On it, Boss."

"Ziva, background on Captain O'Neill."

"Yes, Gibbs."

After the two youngest agents left, Gibbs turned back to Roberts.

"Do you know if Captain O'Neill had access to Lieutenant Pratchett's apartment?"

"I don't think so, sir. They weren't what you'd call friendly, even before all this started."

"Where did the Lieutenant eat when he was at work?" asked Tony.

"I…I guess in the cafeteria."

"Did the Captain ever join him?"

"Yes, sir. All the officers in our department would spend at least three or four lunch hours a week together. They called it a 'working lunch'."

"We'll check it out. Thank you, Ensign Roberts."

"They won't know I said anything, right?"

"They won't know." Gibbs called a guard to escort Roberts out and after he had left, the lead agent turned to his second in command.

"Well?"

"If O'Neill had a stake in the project and Pratchett wasn't cooperating, that's motive, and he had the opportunity to slip Pratchett a daily dose of arsenic."

"Doesn't explain the anti-freeze."

"I'm still holding out for the ex for that one."

Gibbs chuckled and then his expression grew serious. "Are you fit to be here, Tony?"

_Damn, I must look a lot worse than I thought…_

"I can handle it, Boss."

"I know you can. I'm asking if you _should_ be here."

"It's just a stomach virus or something, Gibbs."

Gibbs regarded him for several moments before giving him a nod. "Alright. You and Ziva go re-interview the co-workers. See if you can find out more about these lunch meetings and who else was involved, as well as the supposed girlfriend."

"Got it," Tony said, trying to ignore the last part of that assignment. He followed Gibbs back to the bullpen.

"Ziva, did you find anything on O'Neill?"

"Not much. He has been in the Navy for 24 years and has been at the Lab for the past eight years, where he has been in charge of the Supply and Information Services department for five years."

"Any complaints?"

"None that I could find, at least not yet."

"McGee?"

"There are three contracts that have been in review during the past month, one for an IT project at the Lab. Five bidders so far. No final decision has been made, although there are two that have submitted low bids and are apparently being considered."

"Keep checking. Ziva, you go with Tony to re-interview the people in Pratchett's department."

"Uh, Boss? Maybe I should go. Tony doesn't look-"

"I'm fine, McGee," Tony snapped and grabbed his gear. "Being a little under the weather never stopped me before." He headed for the elevator. Ziva shot Gibbs a questioning look, but he just tilted his head toward the retreating agent and she nodded before heading for the elevator as well. Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk.

"Do you understand how their contract review system works, McGee?"

"I can figure it out, Boss."

"Enough to do Pratchett's job?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good. Get to work." He turned and headed for the stairs.

XXX

Several hours later, Ziva and Tony returned. They had learned that Pratchett, O'Neill, and three other officers had participated in the noon-time work sessions. None of the officers had any suspicion of any conflict between Pratchett and O'Neill, or at least not that they were willing to admit. None were familiar with Pratchett's social life, much to Tony's relief.

Tony had started to feel a bit better during the course of the day, and convinced himself that his earlier ailment was just a virus. His headache had faded, along with the nausea. Except for a strange tingling sensation in his fingers, he was starting to feel like himself again.

"Anything?" asked Gibbs as they returned to their desks.

"Not a lot. We have three more names to add to the group who may have had the opportunity to slip Pratchett the arsenic. None of them met with him outside of work or had access to his apartment, though."

"What about the girlfriend?"

"The officers did not interact with Pratchett socially and were not aware of his relationships."

"McGee?"

"I've been through the contracts over the past five years. There are a couple of questionable awards: one to a firm in Annapolis who did not have as sound of a reputation or as many recommendations as their competitors that would indicate they could produce the promised results with their low bid. The other to a firm in Baltimore: same situation. Both of these came up before Pratchett was on the job."

"Who had the job at the time?"

"A Lieutenant Michaels, now deceased. He died in a car accident two weeks before Pratchett was reassigned to his job."

"So O'Neill lost his lackey who helped push through the bids, and when Pratchett wouldn't play ball, he decided to get him out of the way."

"Something's not right."

"What do you mean, McGee?"

"I mean…well, if he wanted Pratchett out of the way, why poison him for such a length of time, and then administer a fatal dose? And why give a separate poison?"

"To throw us off track, as you suggested earlier?"

"From what I've read of his background, I don't think O'Neill would be that subtle."

"So we're back to the mysterious girlfriend?" asked Ziva.

Further discussion was halted when the elevator door opened and a dark-haired woman in a Naval officer's uniform stepped out. The three men stared at her in surprise as she walked into their section and stopped.

"Commander Coleman. Long time no see."

"Agent Gibbs." She turned to acknowledge the other two men. "Agent DiNozzo. Agent…McGee." She paused briefly to study the younger man before returning her attention to Gibbs. "I understand you need to speak to me."

Tony could only stare at the two of them in shock. It was like watching a train wreck…

"I didn't realize we had a case pending with JAG," Gibbs replied.

"You don't. This is in regards to your current case. You're investigating the death of Lieutenant Treynor Pratchett, correct?"

"We are. Why the interest?"

"In the course of your investigation, you are looking into past and current relationships. I am one of those people to whom you need to speak."

"_You_ had a relationship with Lieutenant Pratchett?"

"A casual one, yes."

"So why-?"

"I know how you operate, Agent Gibbs. I simply want to clear the air and not have this drag out longer than necessary."

Gibbs glanced at DiNozzo, who was looking as if he would rather be anywhere else. He turned back to Commander Coleman.

"Conference room?"

"Lead the way."

"You coming, DiNozzo?"

"Uh…on your six, Boss."

"McGee, Ziva, keep working on those files."

"Yes, Boss."

"Yes, Gibbs."

Tony caught a quick glimpse of a mouthed conversation between the two younger agents before he followed Gibbs and Faith to the conference room. Once they were settled into chairs around the table, Gibbs turned to Faith with a slight smirk.

"So nice of you to save us some time, Commander. How did you hear about Pratchett's death?"

"A notice came through our office. I figured that you would want to talk to me, so I came over as soon as my schedule cleared."

"What was the nature of your relationship with Lieutenant Pratchett?"

"Casual."

"'Casual'? Gotta give me more than that, Faith."

"We met for drinks or dinner a couple of times a week at a pub named _Billy Bones _in Georgetown. Feel free to check with the staff."

"We'll do that. Anything else, since you're so willing to share?"

"I ended our relationship on Friday. Trey was interesting in pursuing it to the next level, and I was not."

"And how did he take it?"

"Not well. He left me alone, but remained at the bar for some time after our discussion, and left approximately two hours before I did."

"Did you see any of this, DiNozzo?"

"I saw him at the bar." Tony winced inwardly as he committed a little white lie of omission. Faith raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"Did you see Agent DiNozzo there that night, Commander Coleman?"

"I must admit, I was distracted. I did not see him at the bar."

Gibbs studied his agent and the lawyer for several moments. Finally he spoke.

"Anything else you can tell me? Did Pratchett have any enemies? Anyone pay special attention to him in your presence?"

"Not that I noticed, Agent Gibbs."

He leaned in closer. "Why did you _really_ come here, Commander Coleman?"

"Agent Gibbs, when you run an investigation, oftentimes you are like a bull in a china shop. I have no desire to clean up another one of your messes. I simply came here to assist, and to provide the pertinent information for your investigation without further submitting myself or my colleagues to your particular brand of interference."

"You think by showing me that you have nothing to hide, I'll leave you alone?"

She merely stared at him with a slight smile before replying. "And I'm allowing you to follow one of your own rules: Number #13, I believe."

To Tony's great surprise, Gibbs chuckled. "It's a good rule."

"Indeed."

"You'll be available for further questioning if I need it?"

"Absolutely."

"Fine. DiNozzo, see the Commander out, and I'll have Ziva meet you downstairs."

"Yes, Boss. Commander?"

"After you, Agent DiNozzo."

Faith followed Tony out of the conference room and they walked to the elevator. Once they were inside and the doors closed, Tony slumped against the wall and flipped the emergency switch.

"What on Earth possessed you to come here, Faith? Gibbs is going to kill me."

"No, he's not."

"He suspected something was going on with me as soon as this case started, and you just confirmed it!"

"And he just gave you his blessing."

"_What?_ What do you mean, he-?"

"He knows I have as much stake in this relationship as you. He knows why _I_ came here; to protect _you_, and he knows you would never cover for me if you truly suspected I was involved. He saw that we can still act as professionals, can 'keep it out of the office', if you will. He's allowing the relationship to continue, but giving a fair warning that if suspicion falls on me, you're going to have to answer for your actions."

Tony just stared at her and she flipped the switch, allowing the elevator to continue its descent.

"Any further questions, Agent DiNozzo?" she asked with a slight smirk.

A slow grin spread across his face, and suddenly he felt better than he had since the case began.

"You are quite a devious woman, Commander Coleman. Do they teach that in law school?"

"It's a survival tactic."

"So now what?"

"You have a crime to solve."

"Yeah, I do. Although, come to think of it, I do owe you one for putting me through the second most terrifying experience of the day."

"Only second?"

Tony grinned. "Clearly you've never driven anywhere with Agent David."

TBC…


	4. Part 4 A Discovery and a Diagnosis

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

* * *

Part 4 – A Discovery and a Diagnosis

When Tony arrived at the guard station with Faith, Ziva was waiting. She gave the Commander a curious look as Tony bid her farewell but did not comment. She did inform Tony that Gibbs wanted them to confirm Faith's story and they headed for Georgetown, with Tony driving.

Once at the pub, they questioned the two bartenders on duty. Tony recognized the woman, so he chose to interview her while Ziva spoke with the unfamiliar male bartender. Both confirmed that Pratchett was a regular, they had seen him with Faith a couple of times a week for the past month, and both hinted that he didn't seem to think the relationship was exclusive.

"Maybe Commander Coleman discovered that he was…paying the field," Ziva suggested after they had reported their findings to Gibbs.

"_Playing_, Ziva. I doubt it. Commander Coleman never struck me as the jealous type. What do you think, McGee?"

"To be honest, Commander Coleman never struck me as the _dating_ type, but then again I don't know her as well as you do, Tony."

"Oh, really?" Ziva raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tony.

"They worked on several cases together before I joined the team," McGee replied.

"So what type does she strike _you_ as, McGee?"

"Very…organized. Not likely to be involved in something so messy."

"I agree," said Gibbs, earning him surprised looks from his team. "Looks we're back to the ex-wife."

"Told ya," Tony mouthed at Ziva and she made a face as McGee rolled his eyes.

They finished out the rest of the day and as Tony headed home, he called Faith, begging off for the night. He still wasn't feeling completely up to par, and he figured it was best to play it safe. He didn't want to give Gibbs more a reason to bench him.

XXX

"Tony, with me."

"Boss?" He stood and turned to Gibbs as he ignored the worried looks his teammates were giving him.

"Pratchett's ex-wife is on her way here. We're meeting her in the Conference Room."

"Got it." Tony followed Gibbs while the other two members slowly resumed their work.

Karla Pratchett was sitting at the far end of the table and she looked up at the two men with apprehension when they entered the room.

"Mrs. Pratchett? I'm Special Agent Gibbs, and this is Special Agent DiNozzo. Thank you for coming in."

"It's _Ms._ Dennison. I've resumed my maiden name," she replied, already on edge, and Tony knew Gibbs' had used her married name to get that very reaction. "What's this about? They said it had something to do with Trey?" The expression on her face when she mentioned her ex-husband's name spoke volumes.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your ex-husband is dead, Ms. Dennison," Tony said. Karla's eye's widened in shock, but Tony was fairly sure he detected relief as well.

"When did he…?"

"Sometime late Friday night. He was found in his apartment Monday morning."

"How?"

"He was poisoned."

"With _what_?"

"We'll get to that. Can you describe your relationship with Lieutenant Pratchett?"

She stared at them for a moment before Tony noticed a flash of anger in her eyes. "Oh, I get it. Always suspect the wife…_ex_-wife."

"Reasonable assumption," said Gibbs.

"Not in this case. Most people that really knew about our relationship would have expected it to be the other way around, that he'd kill _me_."

"And why is that?"

She sighed. "Trey has…_had_ a jealous streak a mile wide. Unfortunately for me, it didn't show up until _after_ we were married. While we were dating, he was…a gentleman; charming, attentive. Maybe a little possessive, but…he didn't change until about six months later. He forbade me from seeing anyone outside of work: any of my friends, both male and female. He didn't want me to divide my attention between him and anyone else. At first I…I thought he was just insecure. He's been married once before, and his wife cheated on him. But after a while…I couldn't take it, Agent Gibbs; the isolation. I filed for divorce, gave up most of what I could have received in a settlement, just to get it over with. Trey was livid when he received the summons and…if my brother Kevin hadn't been with me, I hate to think of what would have happened." She caught the shared look between the two agents and let out a disgusted snort. "My brother is deployed in Afghanistan. Has been for the last five months, hence the restraining order I had to put against Trey. I know they don't really work, but Kevin insisted I needed to do something."

"Why?"

"Trey was stalking me. He'd wait for me to come home, fling accusations, threaten me…I was desperate to keep him away. I think Kevin...may have spoken to Trey before the last deployment, and he backed off."

"And moved on." Tony watched her carefully as he revealed that little bit of information. "Started seeing someone else."

"Poor woman," snapped Karla. Gibbs and Tony shared another look before Gibbs continued.

"Can you tell us where you were this past weekend, Ms. Dennison?"

"From seven until nine PM at I was at my niece Hannah's dance recital in Alexandria. I stayed with my sister-in-law, Laurie, Friday night and the three of us went shopping on Saturday at Potomac Mills. I can show you my receipts if you like. Saturday afternoon we went to Laurie's nephew's soccer game. His team won, by the way. 4-3. Saturday night we all went to a cookout at Peter and Marisa's. That's Laurie's brother and sister-in-law.

"One big happy family alibi," commented Tony and Karla rolled her eyes.

"You asked. Sunday I caught a flight to Denver at 8:15 AM from Reagan National. Landed at DIA at 10:05 AM Mountain Time. I returned home at 9:15 last night. Check it out."

"We will," said Gibbs. "Do you know of anyone who had a grudge against your ex-husband?"

"Not off the top of my head. I've been avoiding him for the past six months, Agent Gibbs. I wouldn't know who else he's pissed off during that time frame."

"What about before?"

She appeared to seriously consider his question. "I can't think of anyone. Trey was very good at putting up a front. He had a lot of people fooled."

"You said that people who knew about your relationship knew he was the potentially violent one. If he was so good at fooling people…?"

"They witnessed an outburst or two, and their views started to change. That, plus they know me. I don't lie, Agent Gibbs. It causes way too much trouble."

"True." He met her angry gaze for several moments until she finally dropped it and sighed.

"Will there be anything else, Agent Gibbs?"

"Do you know who has access to Lieutenant Pratchett's apartment?"

"No. He gave me a key, but I gave it back to him when I filed the order. As I said, I don't know anything about who he's been with for the last six months, and I don't _want_ to know. Is that all?

"We'll be in touch. Don't-."

"—leave town, yeah, I know. I watch TV, Agent Gibbs."

Tony called for a guard to escort Ms. Dennison out and after she had left he turned to his boss."

"Well?"

"Looks like someone did Commander Coleman a favor."

"Looks like it. She doesn't know about Pratchett's temper."

"Uh huh."

"Boss, I—"

"Let's see what Ziva and McGee have turned up." Gibbs turned to leave without even a backward glance at his senior agent and Tony sighed.

"Yes, Boss."

XXX

"What's new, McGoo?"

McGee looked up as Tony and Gibbs approached and gave Tony an annoyed look.

"I've found a few more possible irregularities in bids on contracts that passed through O'Neill's office. I could get a better idea if I had the originals, but those are apparently still regulated to hard copies. At any rate, I think I've found a pattern. O'Neill is assigning contracts to companies that have indirect links to his father's firm. It's well hidden, but I think I could make a case for it if I could get my hands on the originals.

"You might get that chance, Agent McGee," said Vance as he descended the stairs from the catwalk.

"What do you mean, Leon?"

"The SecNav is concerned about these discrepancies that McGee has uncovered, as well as the connection to Lieutenant Pratchett's death. He wants us to put someone on the inside and catch them red-handed."

"Who?"

"Agent McGee."

McGee looked up at the director with a startled expression on his face. "Me? With all due respect, Director, I—"

"Don't have much undercover experience, yes, I know. You do, however, have a working knowledge of their system and the computer skills to get the information. I expect Agent DiNozzo will help you with the rest."

"Sir?"

"You have until Sunday to prepare. We'll be sending McGee in to the Lab Monday morning. I expect you all to be ready, Agent DiNozzo."

"Nice of you to ask before commandeering my team, Leon."

"I don't need to ask, Gibbs. They're my team, too." Vance headed back up the stairs, and Gibbs followed, silent and obviously fuming. After both men disappeared from view Tony turned to his teammates.

"Love to be a fly on the wall for _that_ conversation," he said with a grin. Tony noticed McGee's expression and the grin faded.

"You up to this, Probie?"

"What? Of course. No problem. It's just…damn, I don't have much time to get ready." He immediately started typing and Tony walked over to sit on the corner of his desk. He lowered his voice and leaned closer to his partner.

"Tim? You'll do fine. You've got me to teach the ropes, right?"

"I know, Tony. Thanks. It's just…"

"You're worried you might be next up for a little arsenic cocktail?"

"Or anti-freeze, since we're not sure which one was the actual cause of death."

"You'll be fine. Just don't drink the water." Tony gave McGee one of his patented DiNozzo smiles and the younger agent just shook his head as a slight smirk formed on his face in return.

Tony returned to his desk and started to check Karla Dennison's alibi. He had to pause after a few minutes to stretch his hands, trying to rid them of that strange, tingling sensation he had felt yesterday. He briefly wondered if he was getting carpal tunnel before resuming his work. He discovered that Gunnery Sergeant Kevin Dennison was in fact in Kabul, and had been for five months. He did brief background checks on the rest of Karla Dennison's family, and the limited information he found matched Karla's story.

By the time he was almost finished with the checks, Gibbs had returned to the bullpen. The lead agent's expression was stormy, but controlled, and he spoke to McGee in a low voice before announcing to the team that they would be preparing for the op this weekend.

Tony barely managed to suppress a groan. He had been hoping for some time to talk to Faith, to repair the damage sustained in their budding relationship by Gibbs' interference, but it looked like he'd have to wait.

The rest of the day as well as the rest of the week was spent preparing McGee's cover and refining the necessary skills he would need to complete the mission, both technological and personal. Tony noted, not without pride, that his Probie had come a long way in attaining some of the finesse required to do undercover work since he had joined the team. He had acquired some of Tony's skills, obviously through observation, and Tony helped him with the finishing touches. Tim still needed work on "instant falsehood", and his expression was still too open to be completely deceptive, but the confidence the younger man had been lacking before was there, and, Tony noted, at just the right level.

"My Probie's all grown up," he said with a grin as Tim completed the latest task. It was Sunday, just hours before the op would start, and Tim was putting the finishing touches on his uniform and his new identity: Lieutenant Terrence Matheson, recently transferred from Norfolk and assigned to the Naval Research Lab.

"I look like my father," Tim muttered as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Tony had to admit that McGee looked more at home in the uniform than he would have. He wasn't sure why, but the attire really seemed to suit the younger man.

"That should be a good thing, shouldn't it?"

McGee frowned. "I feel like a kid playing dress-up. I guess that comes with the territory, right?"

"Undercover isn't child's play, McHale's Navy," Tony said as he clasped McGee's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. A lot of our undercover ops have ended rather badly, come to think of it."

"You'll be fine, McPessimist."

"What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"You feeling OK?"

"Fine. Why?"

I don't know…you just haven't seemed quite like yourself lately."

"And here I would have thought you'd consider that a _good_ thing, McGee."

Tim made a face. "Only sometimes."

Tony chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Tim. I'll be fine."

XXX

Gibbs kept the rest of the team busy working on cold cases while McGee was undercover at the lab, and Tony realized with some surprise that he missed the younger agent's presence. Abby made frequent trips to the bullpen to check on their progress and to wonder (a little too loudly for Tony's headache-sensitized ears) how McGee was enjoying his "vacation."

Tony made contact with McGee every night after he left the Research Lab, and while Tony could see that McGee was frustrated by his lack of ability to get O'Neill to talk about Pratchett, he was rather excited by the other aspects of the assignment. He managed to get in a fair amount of detail concerning the cool toys he had seen at the lab each night until Tony cut him off and got him to focus back on the case. McGee had managed to get more information on the shady contract bids, and was certain that by the end of the week they'd at least be able to wrap up that aspect of the case.

After regaling Tony with all that he had done that day, McGee finally stopped and studied the older man.

"Are you sure you're OK, Tony? Because seriously: you don't look good at all."

Tony groaned. He'd gotten the same question from both Ziva and Gibbs earlier that day, and the truth was he felt as bad as he must have looked to get that reaction. He'd seriously considered going to see Ducky but had finally decided he'd rather not deal with the fallout. While the M.E. always assured confidentiality, Gibbs was damn good at guessing what was on Ducky's mind most of the time.

"I told you before, McWorrier, I'm fine. I think I'm allergic to something I tried at dinner last night."

McGee studied Tony for a long time, enough to make the older man uncomfortable.

"What?"

"We're in the middle of a poisoning case, Tony. Aren't you just the least bit-?"

"No, I'm not, McGee," Tony snapped, surprised at the sudden surge of anger he felt.

Tim crinkled his eyebrows in puzzlement at the senior agent's tone. "Sorry, I was just…I was just worried, that's all."

"I'm more worried about what O'Neill will do if he figures you out. We've been here too long, McGee. Time to go."

"Right. OK, see you tomorrow, Tony."

"Don't make me say it, McGee."

"I'll be careful." McGee headed for the car he was using and Tony waited until the younger man had driven off before he returned to his own vehicle. He hated to admit it, but McGee had a point. If it had been anyone else…

Tony shook his head. His head was telling him one very distressing thing, but his gut was telling him something else, and at the moment even _he_ wasn't sure to which he should be listening.

XXX

By Friday McGee had collected enough evidence for Gibbs to get a warrant for both O'Neill's arrest and for an official search of its files. Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva led the team that arrested O'Neill, as well as the three co-conspirators Tony and Ziva had identified during their second interview, and Vance called in another team to deal with the paperwork. O'Neill had protested his innocence all the way to NCIS, and continued until they put him in Interrogation, where he asked for a lawyer and fell silent. McGee and Tony watched from observation while Gibbs and Ziva waited in Interrogation with O'Neill.

"I'm glad this is over," muttered McGee as he watched the scene through the glass.

"You think he'll confess?"

"I've had almost a week to observe him, Tony. He's no match for Gibbs."

Finally the lawyer arrived and Gibbs began his line of questions. Tony could almost see the cracks forming in the captain's façade and grinned.

"Looks like you've got him pegged, Probie."

After laying out the case against him for fixing bids, Gibbs turned to the real reason for bringing O'Neill in.

"_Tell me about Lieutenant Pratchett."_

"_What about him?" _

Tony saw the faint twitch of O'Neill's eye and chuckled. "This is almost too easy."

"_We've got a partial fingerprint on one of the beer bottles from his apartment and the AFIS search included you as a possible. That bottle had a lethal dose of antifreeze in it. What's a matter? He wouldn't go along with your little plan and you had to get him out of the way?"_

"Hook, line and…"

"_Alright!"_ O'Neill burst out before his lawyer could stop him. _"He threatened to tell everyone if I didn't cut him in. It was self preservation."_

"…sinker. I almost can't believe he fell for that bluff, McGee."

"I can."

"_I need some time alone with my client."_

"_OK. While you're figuring out how to get him out of the hole he just dug, ask him why he tried a slower method first."_

"_What slower method?"_

"_Arsenic."_

"_What are you talking about? I didn't—"_

"_Captain, I strongly advise you to—"_

"—_no! I don't know anything about arsenic. Look, I told you what I did. You're not pinning anything else on me!"_

"_Agent Gibbs, I need to speak to my client, now!"_

"_Yeah, Yeah, you do." _Gibbs turned to the window and made a slashing motion, signaling the technician to end the recording, before he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, followed by Ziva. A few moments later they entered observation and watched the scene unfold on the other side of the glass.

"We searched O'Neill's apartment, Boss, and found a bottle of antifreeze, same composition as the stuff used on Pratchett. Video surveillance shows someone of O'Neill's stature entering the building the night Pratchett was poisoned. Abby is working on enhancing it, but…"

"It's not enough."

"But he confessed, Gibbs," said Ziva.

"To one of the poisonings, not both. There's still someone out there who's responsible for trying to kill Pratchett." Gibbs turned to his team. "Find him!" He turned and left the room, leaving behind three worried agents.

"Looks like we're back to square one," said Tony. "Time to question the rest of O'Neill's team."

"And looks like I'm still undercover," added Tim. "Unless you get something out of one of the others."

Tony called to have O'Neill taken to holding and the others to be brought up, one at a time. He and Ziva questioned the rest of O'Neill's crew, but none gave any indication that they knew of O'Neill's plot against Pratchett. Finally, after several long and frustrating hours, Ziva and Tony returned to the bullpen to find McGee dressed in his normal clothing and looking distinctly relieved.

"Op's over," he told them. "Apparently the SecNav was satisfied that the corruption was cleared up, and the Navy's image has suffered enough without drawing out the case."

"O'Neill's lawyer offered a plea bargain. O'Neill will do time for Pratchett's murder, and the rest of the charges will be kept off the table," said Vance as he walked into the bullpen, followed by Gibbs.

"But what about-?"

"Dr. Mallard has determined that the cause of death was ethylene glycol toxicity, not arsenic."

"So the case is over?"

"Officially, yes. All that's left is the paperwork."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Gibbs growled, prompting Tony and Ziva to scurry to their desks. Tony didn't miss the glare Gibbs sent Vance, but the director seemed nonplused and headed back to his office without another word.

It was after 8 PM when the team finally finished their reports and headed home. Tony was the last of the three to leave, and he stopped in front of Gibbs desk on his way out.

"Boss?"

"Go home, Tony. Get some rest. You look like you need it."

"I think we all do at this point, Gibbs."

The lead agent remained silent, so Tony bid him goodbye and headed for the elevator. He hit the button for the ground floor and swayed slightly as a wave of dizziness hit him. He took several deep breaths and the feeling passed by the time he had reached his floor. Relieved, and blaming the sensation on his _very_ empty stomach, he headed for his car, happy to be leaving the office early enough to make his dinner date for once. He had only been able to see Faith once in the past week, two nights ago, and he was surprised at how much he missed seeing her. It was strange to realize how much he had come to rely on her presence when he needed it, whether to vent the general frustrations of the job, or to just unwind.

When he reached the pub, he was surprised to see Faith gathering up her coat to leave.

"What's going on?"

"Emergency meeting for a case. I'm sorry, Tony."

"Hey, I understand."

"If it ends early enough, I'll call you." She gave him a light kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door. Tony sighed. _So much for dinner plans._

He seated himself at the bar and looked around. The crowd was not as large as it had been on previous nights, but there were plenty of interesting sights. Finally he turned and caught the bartender's eye. She smiled and walked over.

"Melanie, right? I guess I'll have the shepherd's pie and a Black and Tan." he said and gave her one of his classic DiNozzo grins, although his heart wasn't in it.

"Coming right up," she replied and sent his order through before pulling a glass and filling it with the two different brews. She set it down in front of him and leaned in a little closer. "Flying solo tonight?"

Tony smirked. "We'll see." She winked and headed back down to the end of the bar as he took an appreciative sip of his drink. He'd always had wine with Faith, but he had to admit he was still more of a beer fan. He wondered if his recent issues were some sort of reaction to the drink.

_Or maybe something in it…_

He shook his head. The little voice in his head, the cop voice, had been telling him that since the beginning, but his gut told him the idea was ridiculous. Faith was many things, and many of those things he either greatly admired or barely understood, but of one thing he was certain: she would not harm anyone. She might wipe the floor with the opposing counsel in the courtroom, but physically…never. It was one of the things he had learned about her during their time together. She hated violence, disorder, chaos…and her compulsive desire to create order in her world was a direct reflection of that. He could relate to that school of thought himself…

His meal arrived and after he had finished it, he took one more look around the room. The regulars were there, ensconced in their booths, along with some newcomers. He was surprised to find he had no real interest in the array of women present. It was an odd, but somehow comforting feeling, once he hadn't felt in a long time.

He paid his tab and headed out, ready for a good night's sleep or what passed for that in his world. He barely managed to stay awake during the drive to his apartment, and once inside, he leaned against the door for a moment before straightening up and heading for his room.

He only made it half-way.

The headache that had been a near constant for the past couple of weeks suddenly returned with a vengeance and his vision blurred almost to the point of disappearing completely. The tingling numbness in his hands also returned and his keys slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.

Tony felt his stomach start to twist and churn, and he staggered for the bathroom, all too familiar with what would happen next, and he barely made it before he lost all he had eaten that evening, and then some. He noticed an odd, metallic taste in his mouth and heaved again, only to bring up what was quite clearly blood.

_No…_

He fumbled for his phone and tried to dial 911, but his fingers wouldn't cooperate. He tried again, this time to hit the first number on speed dial, but before the call could connect the phone slipped from his fingers, hitting the floor with a jarring crash, and he soon followed. Just before consciousness faded completely, he thought he heard someone calling his name…

XXX

McGee raised his fist and knocked on Tony's apartment door. He paused to listen and frowned. No response from inside, although he had seen Tony enter the building just as he had pulled into the parking lot.

"Tony?" he called. He placed an ear against the door and listened. Nothing. He reached into his coat and pulled out his set of lock picks before stopping to consider what he was about to do.

_Are you really going to break into Tony's apartment? Seriously? He'll kill you. _

McGee decided to take that risk. He had been worried about his partner and wanted to check on him. He was willing to face Tony's teasing or wrath to in order to quell his own fears. Tim quickly picked the lock and pushed the door open before he stuck his head inside the apartment.

"Tony? Are you OK?" He heard a soft moan coming from inside the apartment and immediately pulled his weapon. "Tony?" He carefully made his way deeper into the apartment and paused for a brief second when he caught sight of his partner, collapsed on the bathroom floor. "Tony!"

He rushed to the older man's side and gently rolled him over, gasping when he saw traces of blood on his lips and chin. A quick look around confirmed his worst fears and he felt for a pulse, slumping in relief when he found one.

"Hang in there, Tony. You'll be OK." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed 911.

"_Emergency services."_

"I need an ambulance, now!" He quickly relayed the address to the dispatcher.

"_Your name, sir?"_

"Special Agent Timothy McGee, NCIS. My partner, Tony DiNozzo, he needs help. I think…I think he's been poisoned."

"_The ambulance is on its way. What are his symptoms?"_

Tim gave her what information he could as he tried to rouse his partner. "Come on, Tony, don't do this to me." He patted Tony's face and was finally rewarded for his efforts when Tony's eyes slowly opened.

"That's it. That's good, Tony. Stay with me."

"Wha…?"

"You'll be OK…you'll be OK…"

"Mc…wor…ry."

"Yeah, I'm worried, Tony. What the hell happened?"

"Sick…"

"Yeah, I got that. Where were you? Before you came home?"

"Din…ner…"

"Where?"

"_Bil…ly Bo…nes."_

"_Billy Bones_? The pub where you saw Pratchett? Why would you go there?"

"Date…"

Tim shook his head. He would never understand Tony's predisposition to seeking out companionship in the worst places…

Soon the EMTs arrived and started to prepare Tony for transport to the hospital. While they were working, Tim noticed something and immediately hit the first button on speed dial.

"Boss? It's McGee. We need the team at Tony's apartment. He's sick, Boss. I'm pretty sure he's been poisoned. No, not antifreeze. I think it was arsenic…"

XXX

Gibbs burst through the waiting room doors, followed by Abby and Ducky, and found McGee and Ziva already there.

"How is he?"

"Not sure yet, Boss. I went to his apartment and found him passed out in the bathroom where he'd been vomiting, and…there was blood on his face. He says he went to dinner at that pub in Georgetown, that he had a date." Tim flinched when he saw the fury in Gibbs expression and hesitated before he continued. "He didn't say with whom."

Before Gibbs could respond, the doors from the ER opened and a doctor in scrubs stepped through.

"Anthony DiNozzo?"

They all turned to him, but Gibbs was the first to speak.

"How is he?"

"Our initial blood tests have come back positive for arsenic. To produce this reaction, it would have to have been a significant dose. However, urine tests revealed that his body has been processing the arsenic for longer than you would expect if he was only given a dose this evening, as Agent McGee suspects. We will need further tests on his hair and fingernails, but I believe Agent DiNozzo has been exposed to previous non-lethal doses for some time, based on his outward symptoms."

"How long?"

"At least a couple of weeks."

Gibbs and Ziva both swore while Abby and McGee just stared at the doctor in shock.

"What is being done for him?" asked Ducky.

"Agent DiNozzo is being treated with dimercaprol, a chelating agent which quarantines the arsenic away from blood proteins so it can be removed from his system. He is also receiving oxygen therapy. Once urine tests indicate that all of the arsenic has been removed, we can start to deal with the damage."

"What kind of damage?" asked Gibbs.

"Since his exposure does not appear to have been for too long, there should be minimal damage, but he does have the potential for liver and kidney problems, as well as a greater risk for developing cancer. He'll have to spend at least 24 hours receiving treatment, and then a couple of days of recovery time. After that, routine checks for liver and kidney enzymes, as well as cardiac function and carcinogenesis."

"What are his chances for recovery?" McGee asked.

"We caught it early enough, the treatment we are giving him is aggressive, and the exposure time was relatively short. In light of all of these factors, I'd say he has a good chance of recovering fully. However, it will take time. The support a patient receives often has bearing on how well he recovers and it looks like he will have plenty of that.

"He will," Gibbs declared and they all nodded.

"I can take the first shift, Boss," said McGee.

Gibbs studied his agent. The young man was clearly exhausted, but also clearly determined to do what was needed for his partner.

"Thanks, Tim. Abby, Ducky, we need to find out exactly how long he's been dosed. Ziva,with me."

"Yes, Gibbs."

Abby and Ducky followed the doctor to the lab while McGee was directed by one of the nurses to wait until Tony was settled into a room. Gibbs headed for the elevator with Ziva at his heels. Once they were in the elevator Gibbs pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"I need you to meet me at NCIS. I don't care if it's late. Get there, now!" He snapped the phone shut.

"Are we going to process Tony's apartment?"

"Vance sent in another team, but I already have a suspect."

Before she could ask who, Gibbs opened his phone and dialed another number.

"This is Special Agent Gibbs. When Commander Coleman shows up, take her to Interrogation."

TBC...


	5. Part 5 An Ending and a Beginning

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

* * *

Part 5 – An Ending and a Beginning

Gibbs yanked the door of the interrogation room open and was met with the sight of an extremely pissed off JAG lawyer.

"What is the matter with you Gibbs? You summon me down here in the middle of the night, and when I do arrive, I'm taken to Interrogation. What point are you trying to make this time?"

Gibbs slammed the folders he carried onto the table and leaned over it to face her.

"Sit. Down."

She held his gaze for several moments before finally lowering herself to a sitting position. She took a deep breath and spoke in a much calmer voice.

"Would you please tell me what this is about, Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Lieutenant Pratchett."

She blinked. "I was under the impression that you had a suspect in custody. My office has already provided a lawyer."

"We've charged O'Neill with his murder. We still haven't finished the case."

"And why is that?"

"Because someone else tried to kill him. Slowly."

A flicker of fear crossed her face. "Why would someone do that?"

"You tell me."

"Agent Gibbs, I assure you—"

Gibbs opened the file on Pratchett and slammed it down in front of her. "He was poisoned for four weeks, the same amount of time he was 'casually dating' you. I don't believe in coincidences, Faith."

"Perhaps you should, _Jethro_. I am sure I was not the only person who had contact with him during that time."

"No, but you _did_ have contact with both Pratchett _and _DiNozzo."

Genuine confusion appeared in her expression. "I am not following, Agent Gibbs."

"Pratchett was poisoned with arsenic. The anti-freeze O'Neill gave him killed him, but if it hadn't he would have been dead soon enough."

"And what does this have to do with—?"

"Agent DiNozzo was also poisoned with arsenic."

All of the color drained from her face as she stared at him, wide-eyed. "What?"

"They figure he's been getting dosed for a couple of weeks, too. He same amount of time he's been in contact with you."

She continued to stare at him in shock. Finally, after several moments, she spoke.

"Is…is he…?"

"He's alive. We caught it in time."

"When…?"

"McGee found him in his apartment a few hours ago."

"Oh my God…I saw him, but I had to leave for an emergency meeting, and…" Suddenly she looked up at Gibbs with anger. "You think that _I_-?"

"No."

"What?"

"Liars can't pale on cue. You didn't have anything to do with what happened to Tony. But I think you know who did."

"Someone who saw both Trey and Tony with me? And attacked them because of it?"

"_Think_, Faith. Two men who have nothing in common, both taken down with identical poisons, and the only link between the two is _you_. So who could it have been? An old boyfriend? Jealous ex? Or maybe a recent case?"

Gibbs could practically hear the gears grinding as she sorted through information in her mind.

"Do they know…how often they received a dose?"

"Pratchett was almost daily. They don't know about Tony yet."

"I wasn't…with Trey every day. Maybe two or three times a week at most, but…I do know he was a regular at the pub where we would meet. The same pub where I met with Tony."

"Did anyone there confront you or either of them? Or maybe show some special interest in any of you?"

"No…wait. There was something. It's probably nothing, but one of the bartenders, she said that she didn't understand why I would want to meet men in a bar, that none of them were good enough for me. I thought it was just a random compliment, but I do remember that she did seem to pay quite a bit of attention to me and with whom I interacted."

"Her name?"

"I was only aware of her first name: Melanie."

Gibbs turned to the mirror. "Ziva, go back to the hospital to stay with Tony and send McGee here. I need him to run the computer searches."

"_Yes, Gibbs."_

"Agent Gibbs, how is Tony? What's his prognosis?"

"He doesn't have permission to die, but he's going to be sick for awhile. Maybe for good." He studied her for a moment. "Are you ready to deal with that?"

She remained silent. Gibbs pulled out his phone as he exited Interrogation, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts.

XXX

McGee heard a soft groan and leaned forward to study the man lying in the hospital bed. Tony's eyes slowly opened and he groaned again.

"This brings back…really bad memories. At least…the lights aren't blue."

"Yeah, there's that."

He turned his head and gave the man next him a weak grin. "Hey, Probie…what happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"I…damn. Someone slipped me a mickie, didn't they?"

"Looks like it."

"We have to…"

"Gibbs is handling it."

"Boss…crap. He's going to kill me."

"Tony," McGee began and allowed the concern and worry he felt to show. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't…apparently. Rule #10, broke that one again. Hey, that rhymed…"

"Cute, Tony. Who were you going to see at the pub?"

"Gibbs didn't tell you?"

"No, he…wait. He knew? How did he know?"

"She came to see us. Pratchett's case. Part of the investigation."

"Wait. Commander Coleman? _That's_ who you've been seeing?"

"Yep. Hate to break it to you Probie, but she is _definitely_ the dating type."

"I'll have to wrap my mind around that one, later. So she…she's not the one who…?"

"No."

"But how-?"

"My _gut_, Tim. Gibbs', too."

"Right…"

"Gibbs will figure it out. Always does."

McGee didn't say anything and Tony's gaze wandered.

"So…how bad off am I?"

"They think you'll make it."

"Good to know…you know, I guess I should have expected this…"

"How?"

"Plague…a bomb…framed for murder…twice…poison just had to fit in there somewhere."

Tim just shook his head. "Only you, Tony."

"Wouldn't wish it on anyone else."

They were interrupted by Ziva, who gave McGee Gibbs' instructions.

"Guess that's my cue. I'll be back later, Tony."

"See ya, Probie."

McGee left and Ziva took his place in the chair next to Tony's bed.

"Alright, let me have it."

"Have what?"

"Whatever it is you're waiting to tell me: I'm an idiot. I was careless. I—" She put a finger to his lips and shushed him.

"I am glad you are not dead, Tony. Get some rest."

"You're saving it for later, aren't you?" She just gave him a half-smile and winked. He leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes, taking comfort that at least his team would be there for him…

XXX

Faith opened the door of _Billy Bones_ and stepped inside. She carefully surveyed the place before selecting a booth and seating herself so she faced the door. A few moments later, the bartender came over and handed her a menu which she placed on the table.

"Your usual?"

"Yes, thank you, Melanie."

"One glass or two?"

"One, to start. I don't know what my date will be drinking."

"Oh? A new guy? What happened to…Tony, was it?"

"He…it didn't work out."

"Sorry to hear that, but you know, I've been telling you: men you meet in bars? Not good enough for you, hon."

Faith managed a smile. "So you say. I'm afraid I don't have much luck otherwise."

"What about this new guy?"

"Blind date. Someone at work set us up."

"Ouch. Well, I hope he's a good one."

"Me, too." Faith looked down at her hands and Melanie took the hint.

"I'll be right back with your wine." She headed back to the bar and Faith turned her attention to the front door. She had been waiting for about five minutes when the door opened and a rather rough-looking man walked in. His gaze locked with hers and he smiled before walking towards her.

"You must be Faith," he said, his thick Boston accent grating her nerves. "I'm Jake."

"Pleased to meet you," she murmured with forced good humor.

"Nice place. Classy. Hey honey!" He yelled to Melanie, who gave him a quick once over and plastered on a fake smile.

"Yes, sir? How may I help you?"

"A beer for me and one for the lady." Faith cringed. Melanie sent her a look of understanding and got to work.

"Right away, sir."

Jake turned his attention to Faith. "So, my buddy tells me you're a lawyer. Don't think I believe him. You're much too pretty."

Faith could only nod as she prayed the night would be over with quickly. Melanie soon brought Jake's beer and handed him a menu.

"Something to start off?" she asked.

"I'll have to think about that. First I got a trick I want to show ya. Watch." He pulled a bottle out of his pocket. It contained a small amount of liquid and had an eyedropper for a cap. He used the eyedropper to remove some of the beer from his glass and then added it to the bottle. After a few second it turned blue-green.

"There we go: all ready for St. Paddy's Day."

"That's, uh, nice, sir. Can I get you something-."

"I think you'll have to bring me another beer, though. This one's a bit heavy for me." Suddenly Melanie found herself staring into a pair of cold blue eyes as the man leaned closer. "Must be all the metal in it. Arsenic's a metal, right?"

She started to back away and ran into someone. She turned her head to see, a tall, thin man with bright green eyes, who immediately grabbed her arms and held them behind her back. He was soon joined by a dark-haired woman whose brown eyes showed only contempt. The man in the booth slowly stood and opened his wallet to reveal his badge as he removed his disguise.

"Special Agent Gibbs. You're under arrest for the attempted murder of NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"You have the right to remain silent," the man behind her began. "If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney…"

"But not this one," Faith added as she faced the agitated woman. "Why? Why would you do this?"

Melanie sputtered in anger. "I did it for you! None of them were good enough!"

"You're wrong."

The woman started screaming and the two agents dragged out the door to their waiting sedan. Gibbs watched them leave with a faint smirk before turning to Faith.

"You OK?"

"Fine."

"You believe what you said? She was wrong?"

"Yes…yes, I do."

"Then you should make sure he knows it, Commander."

XXX

McGee and Ziva stood in Observation, watching Gibbs attempt to interrogate their suspect, Melanie Gaines. She sat in stony silence while he explained the evidence against her and then began ranting. The two agents listened for about half a minute before shaking their heads and asking the technician to cut the sound.

"She has…quite a vocabulary," observed Ziva.

"Yeah."

"So why does she harbor such hatred towards…?"

"…men in bars?" McGee opened the folder he had in his hands and held out a sheet of paper for Ziva to read. "Turns out she had a sister – Heather Gaines. Looked quite a bit like Commander Coleman. Poisoned by her boyfriend who-"

"Let me guess: she met in a bar."

"Yep. I guess she fixated on the Commander and decided that she had to protect her from everyone she felt wasn't worthy."

"Poor Tony."

McGee sent her a puzzled look. "Because he got poisoned?"

"Well that, and…some woman found him unworthy." She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. McGee could tell she was still worried about their partner.

"And some woman _did_ find him worthy…at least for a little while," he added, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Let us hope it continues."

Tim allowed a small smile to cross his lips. "Are you saying we should have _faith_, Ziva? OW!" He rubbed his arm and winced as she lowered her fist and smiled at him.

"Perhaps someone should."

XXX

Tony closed the door to his apartment after his last guest had left and sighed in relief. His 'Welcome Home' party had been exhausting, but he could help but grin as he remembered the enthusiastic greeting he had received from Abby when he had entered his wildly decorated apartment just couple of hours ago.

It had been nearly two weeks since he had last set foot in his apartment. The first week in the hospital was an unpleasant blur, as the poison had worked its way out of his system, leaving him weak and vulnerable to infection and a host of other maladies. His team had been there as often as they could, but there was one person who was conspicuously absent, and whose presence he missed more than he would admit.

The rest of his time had prepared him for what was to be his immediate future: blood work, screening tests, and daily checkups for evidence of what the effects of the poison ultimately would be. Ducky and Palmer had promised to keep a close eye on him, and Abby had once again brought out her holistic remedies to help him cope with his new situation. Gibbs had told him he always had a place, both on the team and as part of the strange dysfunctional family in which he had found himself for so many years. McGee and Ziva gallantly suffered through many a movie marathon with him, ignoring his commentary as best they could and offering silent support as he tried, in his own way, to deal with an uncertain future.

He brushed aside one of the many balloons that had started to sink down from the ceiling and headed for the kitchen for a glass of water. He was almost to the sink when the doorbell rang.

"Aw come on, Abby, enough. I need my beauty sleep," he called out as he walked to the front door of his apartment and opened it. He let out a short huff of surprise when he saw who was standing there.

"Faith? What…what are you doing here?"

"May I come in?"

"Oh, sure, yeah, come in…" He opened the door and allowed her to slip past him into the apartment. She looked around at the array of decorations and he thought he saw the faintest trace of a smile.

"So, it's, uh…good to see you."

"You, too. I came by the hospital a couple of times, but…you were asleep."

"Yeah. Turns out being poisoned really messes with your sleep cycles. Who knew?" He grinned, but the gesture didn't have its usual vigor.

"Tony, I…I am sorry this happened to you. I really am. I had no idea—"

"I know you didn't. It's not your fault, Faith. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I broke one of Gibbs rules. Actually I think I broke several of them, but the point is…I'm not sorry I got to know you better."

"I'm not sorry, either. I am sorry I didn't visit you more often in the hospital. I…I really hate them."

"Yeah, me too."

Both were silent for several moments before Faith cleared her throat. "I must confess: I have missed you. I know our…relationship got off to bit of a bad start…"

"Oh hey, this isn't bad. You haven't accused me of murder yet."

She laughed. "No, it was my turn for that distinction."

Tony's smile disappeared. "Did Gibbs actually accuse—?"

"No! No. He was actually quite civil."

"Gibbs? _Civil_?"

"Well, that might be stretching it."

"Just a bit."

"Tony, I…I was hoping that maybe we could…"

"Try again?"

"If you're willing."

His grin returned. "I'm willing. Maybe not particularly _able_ at the moment…" She let out a soft snort. "But yes, I am willing." He nodded towards the set-up in his living room. "Would you care to join me for a movie, Commander?"

"That sounds…perfect. I have to warn you, though. I'm not really in the mood for a loud, action-packed film."

"That's OK. I have the perfect one for you. You'll love it. It's a classic."

She followed him to the living room and settled onto the sofa as he selected the movie and put it into the DVD player. He turned the lights down low and sat next to her before turning on the TV, which soon displayed the title card for the movie. She read it and started to laugh.

Tony turned to her and exclaimed, in his best Cary Grant impression, _"I'm not a Brewster, I'm the son of a sea cook!"_

Faith gave him a mock glare before laughing again. "You're incorrigible."

"It's part of my charm. A part, Commander, I believe you will soon learn to appreciate."

She leaned back, met his gaze and smiled.

"We'll see."

The end.

* * *

Author's Notes:

The title comes from a song by the **heavy metal** group _Poison_. ;)

The movie Pratchett is watching in Part 1 is _Snakehead Terror_, a (horrifyingly bad) SyFy Channel original movie.

The movie Tony and Faith are watching in Part 5 is _Arsenic and Old Lace_.


End file.
